LODESTONE: The Scabbard of Creation

Seafaring Hero Style

Doldrums-Induced TempoCost: 5M 1WPType: SupplementalDuration: InstantPrerequisite Charms: NoneAll sailors know the danger of getting caught in the doldrums. Experienced sailor fear pirate less than sitting on the sea with no wind, or brief puffs from random directions, because it mixes boredom with bad company and dwindling supplies. Eventually, men go mad from entrapment on the becalmed sea. The martial artist using this Charm has meditated upon that experience, and she knows how to use its madness as a weapon. Her steps are unexpected, and her blows come from surprising quarters, making it difficult to defend against the character’s attack.

Her target suffers a -2 penalty to his DV against this withering attack. Should the attack connect, it throws the target off balance and degrades his ability to move in his own defense. All other attacks made against the target during that turn add (Seafaring Hero’s Essence) in dice to the post-soak damage of any withering attacks.

Note: The user of this charm may not take any move actions during the turn in which they use this charm.

Mastery:
Masters of Seafaring Hero Style find that they naturally circumvent the madness of the doldrums, instead they carry the essence of madness in the negative space of their wake. Masters of this style may ignore the requisite immobility for the use of this charm.

Additionally any character who has made a successful Decisive attack against an opponent afflicted with this ability may roll (Seafaring Hero’s Essence) in dice as post-soak withering damage after the decisive attack has been resolved and the attacker’s initiative has reset.

Name: Sea Spider PlungeCost: 4mType: SimpleDuration: InstantPrerequisite Charms: NoneDescription:Skipping above the black depths, nothings can drown the sea spiders of the Coral Archipelago. They dance on the waves and pierce that veil only to kill their prey. After a shipwreck, clever islanders watch the spiders, waiting for their strong mandibles to catch and drag up the dead. Having learned the first mysteries of the style, a student can drag foes from the ship that carries them with the same mastery.

Activating this charm, the character “dips” into a battle on the decks from above sweeping from short range to close range and rolling making a grapple gambit against their target, then immediately rolls to disengage against all remaining enemies (not the grappled opponent) to relocate into short range as they vanish back up amongst the rigging or down the ship. If the grapple was successful they drag their victim along for the ride. While this movement does not cost rounds of control it does replace the initial grapple action options.

Note: Taking this action incurs a -2 DV penalty until the Seafaring Hero’s DV refreshes and requires a location that supports both vertical and horizontal mobility in some fashion. (It shouldn’t really be a problem unless you are somehow on desert plains or a confined space.)

Mastery:
Masters of Seafaring Hero style are a true spectacle to behold while fighting in their chosen environments. Moving like a cracking whip through the air on the rigging and sails of ships they steal foes away from the decks of enemies or toss foes out to sea.

Masters are allotted the use of one of the following effects upon an activation of this charm:
1: Once per scene the Seafaring Hero may activate this charm from medium range, closing two range bands and then continuing to a point at short range from the target’s initial location without needing to roll a disengage against other opponents.

This option is reset after successfully incorporating both an allied and an enemy vessel into a two dice stunt. These stunts may occur separately or simultaneously.

2: The seafaring hero may take the usual Savage, Restrain/Drag, Release, or Throw action if they successfully disengage.

Name: Stuck Rudder InflictionCost: 4m, 1wpType: SupplementalDuration: Up to (Essence) actionsPrerequisite Charms: NoneDescription:The ruder is half a ship’s will, and it must be kept in good repair. Should it become warped or damaged, the crew loses control over how the ship moves. With some practice, students of this style learn how to inflict this same problem on others.

Upon successfully establishing a grapple and performing a control roll the Sailor may immediately release the opponent and leave them with severely disturbed equilibrium. For every two rounds of control forfeited the victim is left with one round where they may only move in the direction dictated by the martial artist. The direction must be absolute to the environment (“toward the aft, towards that door, that way”), not relative to the character or a mobile object. Targets may choose instead to remain immobile, but loses 2 initiative each round they do so due extreme nausea.

Mastery:
Initiative lost due to voluntary immobility is gained by the Seafaring Hero. Additionally, any characters attempting to disengage from the target in a direction towards which the opponent is unable to move receive (Remaining Duration of Charm) non-charm successes to the attempt, up to their individual ratings in Sail or the Seafaring Hero’s Essence, whichever is lower.

Name: Seafaring Hero FormCost: 8mType: SimpleDuration: One ScenePrerequisite Charms: Doldrums-Induced Tempo, Sea Spider Plunge, Stuck Rudder InflictionDescription:True Seafaring Heroes are great than any mere storm or rolling deck. She also knows how to roll with attacks, much as a well-tended ship rolls over the waves of lesser storms.

While on a ship, the martial artist ignores up to (Martial Arts) dice worth of penalty due to environmental factors such as high winds, slick/unsteady decks, or dense fog.

By reducing their DV by one until the end of the next round they may remove three dice from the raw damage of a withering attack that has struck them. This effect may be used until their remaining DV is 0 and the effects stack, but cannot reduce an attack below minimum damage. Any charm used to temporarily negate this penalty costs double.

Special Activation: When the exalt successfully moves into a new range band while controlling a grapple they may reflexively activate Seafaring Hero Form.

Name: Full-Stroked Ramming KickCost: 4mType: Simple, WitheringDuration: InstantDescription:
Just as the ship that uses the most slaves for its ramming scuttle the most enemy ships, the warrior who strikes with the greatest speed lays his enemy low. Seafaring Hero’s launch themselves into the fray like a cannonball.

Forgoing normal movement actions for their turn the Martial Artist propels herself forward to deliver an arial strike. This attack instantly moves the character one range band in any direction. Should they end up close enough to strike their target they may add (Martial Arts) to the raw withering damage of a withering attack and increase the minimum damage of the strike by one
.
Note: If the attack misses the target the Martial Artist continues one additional range band further and may need to face possible hazards of that movement (say… if they collide with a wall, or end up off the ship).

Mastery:
The Seafaring Hero masters the ballistic nature of their movements.
A master of this style impacts with such force that they may add the “Smashing” tag to this strike if they wish.

Name: Wave-Riding Navy BreakerCost: 3m 1wp (Initial Activation) or 3m (Extending Activations)Type: Simple, PerilousDuration: Until end of next turn (re-activation option at Mastery)Prerequisite Charms: Seafaring Hero FormDescription:Waves grow stronger over time as the winds build them up. They change from mere ripples to behemoths ready to tear ships to shreds. The most brilliant of captains learn how to ride such waves, traveling incredibly quickly and getting the drop on their waterborne foes. The Hero emulates both wave and ship by building up her strength to unleash a massive blow on the target.

The player then rolls (Strength+Martial Arts) and each success adds to the raw damage damage of a decisive attack made within the next turn. This additional damage does not count as “initiative” for the purpose of turn order, hardness, or other mechanics.
This charm cannot be flurried with an attack action.

Mastery:
Masters of this style may reactivate this charm to extend the duration for another turn and further enhance their attack. Doing so cost 3m, but does not cost a Willpower. Each re-activation is made with two less dice in the (Strength+Martial Arts) pool than the last (-2 for the first re-activation, -4 for the second, etc.) and the player may not use this charm if the pool would be zero or less. If the player does not score any successes on the activation of the charm it ends without any further effect.

Name: Terrible Sail-Rending AssaultCost: 4mType: Supplemental, WitheringDuration: Until Target’s Initiative ResetsPrerequisite Charms: Seafaring Hero FormDescription:In ship-to-ship combat, one of the most effective tactics is to target an opponent’s sails, rendering her ship dead in the water until her crew can repair the damage.

The Exalt may strike a crashed opponent and convert any number of withering damage successes into a penalty on all movement actions. This penalty lasts until the target recovers form Initiative Crash.

Mastery:
Until the target’s initiative is restored from crash all of the target’s movement actions are considered reflexively opposed by the Martial Artist no matter the distance or circumstance the Martial Artist is in.

Name: Sail-Furling InvulnerabilityCost: 10m, 1wpType: Simple, PerilousDuration: 1 TurnPrerequisite Charms: Full-Stroked Ramming Kick, Wave-Riding Navy Breaker, Terrible Sail-Rending AssaultDescription:Sailors know no fury worse than the wind of a storm, which can topple a ship or tear its mast straight off. The best proof against such a danger is to drop all sails, reducing the wind’s grip as much as possible. Martial artists apply the same technique to their defenses. By presenting a small a target as possible the blue-black winds of essence howl past the the character, carrying with them the attacks that would otherwise do the Martial Artist harm.

This charm provides a perfect defense against up to (Essence) ranged attacks by individual opponents or battle groups until the Exalt’s next turn. The Martial Artist may chose which attacks to apply this perfect defense against.

Additionally the Martial Artist may apply one use of the damage reduction provided by Seafaring Hero Form per attack made against them without reducing their DV. Additional uses against a single attack will reduce DV as normal.